About the Valley

Welcome to the March/April 2009 issue of About the Valley. This issue talks about an event planned for the 75th Anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and some Townsend events.

75th ANNIVERSARY OF GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. In honor of this event, the city of Gatlinburg is planning a re-enactment of President Franklin Roosevelt’s ride through Gatlinburg to dedicate the National Park on September 2, 1940. The re-enactment will be part of the Gatlinburg 4th of July Parade. Actors will be used to portray Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor. They are also trying to find a 1934 Packard 4-door touring car for the parade, just like the one Roosevelt was riding.

President Roosevelt’s New Deal created the park in 1934 and the Civilian Conservation Corps began building the park infrastructure. On Labor Day in 1940, President Roosevelt gave a speech in Chattanooga and then drove through Knoxville to Gatlinburg. He dedicated the park “with one foot in North Carolina and on foot in Tennessee when he gave his speech.”

The ride will start at the Gatlinburg Inn, which was part of the 1940 landscape. They will continue on U.S. 321 through town and end at the park entrance.

CADES COVE HERITAGE TOURS

The Cades Cove Heritage Tours is adding three new tours for spring and summer. A “Natural Wonders” tour will focus on the ecology of Cades Cove. The “Cemeteries of Cades Cove” tour will take visitors to little-visited cemeteries in the cove. Old homesites in the cove will be featured in the new “Spring Buttercup” tour. They will also continue to offer its initial tour, an overview of the historic mountain valley.

The tours include riding in a 19-passenger environmentally friendly Educational Touring Vehicle plus a trained tour guide who points out features along the road and at designated stops.

The tours are $13.00 for adults, $10.00 for seniors, $8.00 for children ages 6-17, and free for children under age 6. The tour depot is a 1830s reconstructed log cabin near the Heritage Center. For more information or to make a reservation, call 865-448-8838 or visit www.cadescoveheritagetours.org.

TOWNSEND IN THE SMOKIES SPRING FESTIVAL

It’s time to plan a visit to the annual Townsend Spring Festival and Oldtimers Day—May 1 and May 2 from 9:00 a.m. to “whenever.” The festival is held at the Townsend Visitors Center. Oldtimers Day will be on May 2, a day to remember what life was like in the mountains years ago.

The festival will include arts and crafts demonstrations, the annual barbeque team competition, and great music. There will be a Young Pickers Contest Saturday morning and story telling from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Admission is free. Parking is $5.00 and benefits the local fire department. For more information, call the Townsend Visitors Center at 865-448-6134 or visit www.smokymountainfestivals.org

FUDGY SKILLET BROWNIES

1 ¼ cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (spooned and leveled)

½ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

¼ cup heavy cream

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt.

In a medium ovenproof nonstick skillet, bring butter and cream to a simmer over medium heat. Add chocolate and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring constantly, until chocolate has melted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.

Add chocolate mixture to sugar/egg mixture, whisking until blended (reserve skillet). Fold in flour mixture. Pour batter into skillet.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Serve from skillet, warm or at room temperature.

IF YOU ARE PLANNING A TRIP TO THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS, PLEASE CONSIDER STAYING AT PINE CONE LODGE. THE COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE OF A CHESTNUT RIDGE CABIN MAKE YOUR VACATION MORE FUN! CHECK AVAILABILITY AND RESERVE YOUR DATES EARLY -- MANY RESERVATIONS ARE MADE WEEKS AHEAD..

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Thanks for subscribing to About the Valley. We look forward to bringing you more news next month. As always, if you have any questions or comments or want to share your favorite place to visit in the Smoky Mountains, e-mail us at .

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